Vehicle intent communication based on vehicle posture

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for communicating motion intention of a vehicle to other road users. The method can include receiving a signal indicating a motion intention of the vehicle, and controlling a suspension system of the vehicle to create a vehicle posture according to the motion intention of the vehicle to show the motion intention of the vehicle to other road users.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to communicating vehiclemotion intent to other road users.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

In addition to standard signals for conveying a motion intention, suchas turn signals, brake lights, horn, and headlights, road users may relyon actions or gestures to communicate their intentions with each other.For example, a pedestrian can use eye contact with an approaching driverto ensure the driver sees the pedestrian and crossing a street is safe.A driver intending to merge from a side street onto a main street withheavy traffic can use eye contact with a driver on the main street tomake sure he or she can turn onto the main street. A driver may wave ahand to a pedestrian at a road intersection to indicate the pedestriancan proceed to a crosswalk.

However, there are scenarios that communication based on a driver'sactions or gestures cannot occur, and motion intent of a vehicle or adriver cannot be conveyed or observed. For example, for an autonomousvehicle, a driver may be absent from the vehicle, or a person in adriver's seat may be preoccupied with other activities when the vehicleoperates in an autonomous mode. For non-autonomous vehicles, a driver'saction or gesture may not be observed, for example, due to lightdeflection from the windshield of the vehicle.

Some solutions are developed to solve the above vehicle intentcommunication problem. For example, a method for an autonomous vehicleto communicate with external observers is described in U.S. Pat. No.9,475,422. In this method, a projector is employed to project a humanunderstandable output to a ground surface in proximity to the autonomousvehicle. In U.S. Patent Pub. No. 20170240098, methods for generatingauditory and visual signals to communicate vehicle intentions aredisclosed. In addition to a projector, display panels, and lightingstrips disposed on the side or rooftop of the vehicle are employed. Inthose solutions, additional devices are added to a vehicle in order tocreate signals for communication of vehicle intent. Those additionaldevices can cause additional cost and mass to a vehicle.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for communicating motionintention of a vehicle to other road users. The method can includereceiving a signal indicating a motion intention of the vehicle, andcontrolling a suspension system of the vehicle to create a vehicleposture according to the motion intention of the vehicle to show themotion intention of the vehicle to other road users.

For example, an inclined posture towards the front of the vehicle can becreated to show the vehicle intends to stop or keep stopping. Aninclined posture towards the rear of the vehicle can be created to showthe vehicle intends to start. An inclined posture towards the left ofthe vehicle can be created to show the vehicle intends to turn right. Aninclined posture towards the right of the vehicle can be created to showthe vehicle intends to turn left. In one example, a dynamic postureincluding a forward inclined posture followed by a flat posture can becreated.

For example, a vehicle posture can be created by extending or shrinkingan aspect of the suspension system. An inclined posture towards thefront of the vehicle can be created by shrinking a front suspensionand/or extending a rear suspension of the suspension system. An inclinedposture towards the rear of the vehicle can be created by shrinking arear suspension and/or extending a front suspension of the suspensionsystem. An inclined posture towards the left of the vehicle can becreated by shrinking a left side suspension and/or extending a rightside suspension of the suspension system. An inclined posture towardsthe right of the vehicle can be created by shrinking a right sidesuspension and/or extending a left side suspension of the suspensionsystem.

In various examples, the suspension system can be one of a suspensionsystem based on airbags, a hydro-pneumatic suspension system, and anactive suspension system based on high-speed actuators. In variousexamples, the signal indicating the motion intention of the vehicle canbe received from an autonomous driving system, a driver intentionmonitoring system, or an input device configured to receive a driver'sinput of a motion intention.

Aspects of the disclosure provide a vehicle that can communicate motionintention to other road users by creating vehicle postures. The vehiclecan include a suspension system, and a vehicle posture controller. Thevehicle posture controller can be configured to receive a signalindicating a motion intention of the vehicle, and control the suspensionsystem of the vehicle to create a vehicle posture according to themotion intention of the vehicle to show the motion intention of thevehicle to other road users.

Aspects of the disclosure provide a non-transitory computer readablemedium. The medium can store instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, causes the processor to perform the method for communicatingmotion intention of a vehicle to other road users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of this disclosure that are proposed as exampleswill be described in detail with reference to the following figures,wherein like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1H show examples of scenarios where different vehicle posturesare used to communicate various vehicle motion intentions according tosome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an example vehicle according to some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3 shows an example air suspension system according to an embodimentof the disclosure; and

FIG. 4 shows an example process for creating a vehicle posture to conveymotion intent of a vehicle to other road users according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Aspects of the disclosure describe methods and apparatus forcommunicating motion intent of a vehicle by creating suitable vehiclepostures. The motion intent or motion intentions can refer to actionsthat the vehicle intends to perform. The vehicle postures can be createdby manipulating a suspension system of the vehicle. For example, avehicle can be equipped with an air suspension system. The airsuspension system can include four air suspensions (such as air springs,also referred to as air bags or air bellows) installed at four cornersof the vehicle body. Each air suspension can be independently controlledto extend or shrink such that height of the vehicle body at a respectivecorner can be separately adjusted.

Accordingly, different vehicle postures can be created by manipulatingthe air suspensions. For example, a forward inclined posture can becreated by shrinking the front air suspensions and/or extending the rearsuspensions. Similarly, a backward inclined posture, or a left or rightinclined posture can be created. Various such created postures can beassociated with different motion intentions of the vehicle, and used forconveying different motion intentions. For examples, a forward inclinedposture can be used to indicate an intention of stopping or keepingstopping, while a backward included posture can be used to indicate anintention of starting.

FIGS. 1A-1H show examples of scenarios where different vehicle posturesare used to communicate various vehicle motion intentions. The vehiclesdemonstrating intentions in the examples (represented as rectanglesfilled with diagonal lines) can be an autonomous vehicle or a normalvehicle with a human driver. In the examples, an intended travellingroute of a road user, such as a vehicle, or a pedestrian, is indicatedby an arrow.

FIG. 1A shows a stretch of road 101 with a crosswalk 102. A pedestrian104 standing by the crosswalk 102 is going to cross the road 101. Avehicle 103 approaching the crosswalk will slow down and stop before thecrosswalk to allow the pedestrian to cross. To demonstrate an intentionto stop, the vehicle 103 may show an inclined posture towards the frontof the vehicle 103 while approaching the crosswalk 102 until fully stopsbefore the crosswalk 102. The forward inclined posture ensures thepedestrian 104 that the vehicle 103 sees the pedestrian 104 and crossingthe road 101 would be safe. While the pedestrian 104 is crossing thecrosswalk 102, the vehicle 103 may maintain the forward inclined postureto show an intention to keep stopping.

Alternatively, the vehicle 103 may create a dynamic posture to show thevehicle 103 intends to wait for a longer time. A dynamic posture canrefer to a sequence of postures that are shown subsequently to convey aspecific vehicle motion intention. In contrast to the dynamic postures,a single posture, such as a forward or backward inclined posture, can bereferred to as a static posture. For example, after arriving at thecrosswalk 102, the vehicle 103 may change the posture from the forwardinclined posture to a flat posture, for example, by adjustingsuspensions to maintain the vehicle body in a flat position. Thisdynamic posture may enhance the pedestrian's feeling of security.

FIG. 1B shows a four-way stop intersection 111 with stop signs 112 ateach entrance to the intersection 111. Two vehicles 113-114 approachingthe intersection 111 reach the intersection simultaneously. The vehicle114 may show a forward inclined posture while approaching theintersection and maintain the forward inclined posture to demonstrate anintention to yield the right-of-way to the vehicle 113. A driver of thevehicle 113 can see the forward inclined posture of the vehicle 114, andinterpret the forward inclined posture as an offer to yield and proceedto drive the vehicle passing through the intersection 111 or turningleft.

Alternatively, the vehicle 114 may decide to take the right-of-way andintend to move forward. Accordingly, the vehicle 114 may create abackward inclined posture to demonstrate the intention to start to enterthe intersection 114. The driver of the vehicle 113 may observe thebackward inclined posture, and be aware of the vehicle 114's intentionto move. The vehicle 113 may thereby hold its position waiting for itsturn to move.

FIG. 1C shows a segment of road 121. A pedestrian 123 intends to crossthe road 121 while a vehicle 122 moves towards the direction of thepedestrian 123. The vehicle 122 may detect the pedestrian 123 intendingto cross the road 121. The vehicle 122 may decide to pass withoutyielding to the pedestrian 123. Accordingly, the vehicle 122 can createa backward inclined posture to demonstrate an intention to keep moving.The pedestrian 123 can take the backward inclined posture as an alertthat the vehicle 122 would not yield to the pedestrian 123.

FIG. 1D shows a side street 133 connected with a main street 131 withheavier traffic. A vehicle 134 intends to merge into the traffic on themain street 131. Accordingly, the vehicle 134 can create a backwardinclined posture to show an intention to start. A driver of a vehicle132 can see the backward inclined posture of the vehicle 134 and reducespeed accordingly to let the merging vehicle 134 to join the traffic.

FIG. 1E shows a four-way intersection 141. Two vehicles 142-143 approachthe intersection 141 from opposite directions. The vehicle 142 intendsto make a right turn, and accordingly can create an inclined posturetowards the left side of the vehicle 142 to convey the intention ofturning right. The vehicle 143 (or a driver of the vehicle 143) can seethe inclined posture of the vehicle 142, and respond accordingly. Forexample, assuming the vehicle 143 intends to make a left turn, thevehicle 143 can wait until the intersection is clear. If the vehicle 143intends to make a right turn, the vehicle 143 can proceed to turn rightwithout stopping.

FIG. 1F shows a four-way intersection 151. Two vehicles 152-153 approachthe intersection 151 from opposite directions. The vehicle 152 can reachthe intersection 151 earlier than the vehicle 153, and intend to turnleft before the opponent vehicle 153 reaches the intersection 151.Accordingly, the vehicle 152 can create an inclined posture towards theright side of the vehicle 152 to show an intention of turning left. Thevehicle 153 can see the inclined posture and know the vehicle 152intends to turn left. The vehicle 153 can thereby be cautious whenapproaching the intersection 151.

FIG. 1G shows two parallel lanes 161-162 for traffic going to a samedirection. A vehicle 163 intends to change lane from right to left inorder to overtake a vehicle 165 moving in front of the vehicle 163. Thevehicle 163 can create an inclined posture towards the right side of thevehicle 163 to signal an intention to switch lane from right to left toa vehicle 164 coming from behind.

FIG. 1H shows a stretch of road 171 where a vehicle 173 follows anothervehicle 172. The vehicle 172 may intend to reduce speed in order to lookfor an available parking spot along the side of the road 171.Accordingly, the vehicle 172 may create a forward inclined posture (oran inclined posture towards left) to convey an intention of slowing downto the following vehicle 173. The vehicle 173 may see the forwardinclined posture, and as a response overtake the vehicle 172.

It is to be understood that using vehicle posture to communicate vehiclemotion intent is not limited to the scenarios described herein. Inaddition, vehicle postures are not limited to the postures described inthe above examples. For example, inclined postures towards front-left,front-right, rear-left, or rear-right of a vehicle can be created, orvarious dynamic postures can be created, for different use scenarios.Further, association between a vehicle posture (including a dynamicposture) and a vehicle motion intention can vary according to differentfactors. For example, a same posture can be used to represent differentintentions in different contexts as shown in the examples of FIGS.1A-1H. A same posture can be interpreted in different way in differentcultures or different countries. Some associations between vehiclepostures and vehicle motion intentions can be standardized while otherassociations may be adopted as a local custom of road users.

In some examples, the postures of motion intentions can be learned by anartificial intelligence (AI) function. For example, leveraging thelearning capability of this AI function, based on sensors for autonomousdriving, a vehicle can voluntarily understand how postures are utilizedin different cultures or countries.

The vehicle postures created by manipulating a suspension system can beused in autonomous vehicles as well as non-autonomous vehicles. Comparedwith the solutions where additional display devices or signaling devicesare used for communicating vehicle intent, creating vehicle postureswith a suspension system can avoid adding additional cost and mass to avehicle. In addition, the vehicle postures described herein are moreintuitive and easier to understand by other road users compared with theadditional display devices or signaling devices. Further, compared withthe standard signals for conveying an intention, such as turn signals,brake lights, and the like, the vehicle postures are more significantand not easy to be neglected for road users.

FIG. 2 shows an example vehicle 200 according to some embodiments of thedisclosure. The vehicle 200 can be configured to control a suspensionsystem 250 to create various postures according to different motionintentions of the vehicle 200. The vehicle 200 can be a car, a truck, abus, and the like, configured with a suspension system. In one example,the vehicle 200 includes an autonomous driving system 210, a driverintention monitoring system 220, a posture input device 230, a vehicleposture controller 240, a vehicle posture learning module 260, and thesuspension system 250. Those components are coupled together as shown inFIG. 2.

The autonomous driving system 210 can be configured to make decisionsregarding actions to be performed in response to surrounding environmentduring a trip, and generate signals 211 indicating motion intentionscorresponding to the decisions. For example, the autonomous drivingsystem 210 can be configured to perform various driving functionsautomatically without a human intervention. For example, the autonomousdriving system 210 can include a navigation system. Based on input of adestination, a digital map, and positioning information (e.g., providedfrom a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver), the navigation systemcan continuously determine travel directions for the vehicle 200 duringthe trip. Accordingly, the autonomous driving system 210 can issueoperational commands and control an operating system, for example,including a steering system, a braking system, a throttling system, andthe like, to control the vehicle 200 to travel towards the destination.

In one example, the autonomous driving system 210 can know itssurrounding environment based on its current position and roadinformation on the digital map during a trip. For example, the digitalmap may provide road information of intersections, crosswalks, stopsigns, signal lights, lane configurations, a joint of a side street anda main street, parking spots arrangement, and the like. Accordingly, theautonomous driving system 210 can know that road information in advance.

In one example, the autonomous driving system 210 can know itssurrounding environment in real time based on various sensors. Forexample, the autonomous driving system 210 can include sensors andsensor data processing circuitry. For example, the sensors can includecameras, lidars, radars, microphones, and the like, that are configuredto monitor the environment of the vehicle 200. For example, a camera maycapture an image or video of other road users, such as other vehicles,pedestrians, cyclists, and the like. The sensor data processingcircuitry can be configured to process the image or video data torecognize the road users. As a result, other road users can be detected.In some examples, based on actions or postures of other road users,intentions of those road users can also be estimated and detected. Forexample, a camera may capture an image or video of a segment of road oran intersection. Accordingly, detailed and real time information of theroad or intersection can be obtained that may not be included in thedigital map.

Based on information of the environment of the vehicle 200, for example,obtained from the digital map or various sensors, the autonomous drivingsystem 210 can determine various to-be-performed actions. For example,the autonomous driving system 210 may determine to slow down whenreaching a four-stop intersection, or upon detection of a pedestrianstanding by a crosswalk. The autonomous driving system 210 may determineto yield when the vehicle 200 and another vehicle arrive at anintersection simultaneously. Alternatively, the autonomous drivingsystem 210 may determine to start to move in advance of the othervehicle when the vehicle 200 has the right-of-way.

Corresponding to various to-be-performed actions, the autonomous drivingsystem 210 can generate signals 211 indicating motion intentions of theautonomous driving system 210. In some examples, not all to-be-performedactions will trigger transmission of a motion intention signal. Forwhich actions a motion intention is signaled to the vehicle posturecontroller 240 can be configurable. For example, when stuck in a trafficjam, or no other road users are detected in surrounding environment,motion intention signals may not be produced for actions of reducing orincreasing speed.

The driver intention monitoring system 220 can be configured to monitora driver of the vehicle 200 and generate motion intention signals 221corresponding to driver's intentions. For example, a driver may operatethe vehicle 200 manually without using the autonomous driving system210. Or, the driver may take over a part of driving functions of theautonomous driving system 210 in some special scenarios where autonomousdriving system 210 cannot operate properly. For example, the driver mayoperate manual driving devices, such as a steering wheel, a brake pedal,an acceleration pedal, and the like, to control the vehicle 200.

In one example, the driver intention monitoring system 220 can includevarious sensors for monitoring actions of the driver. For example, oneor more cameras can be used to monitor facial expression, eye movement,and body movement of the driver. Suitable sensors can be used to monitormovement of the manual driving devices (steering wheel, brake pedal,acceleration pedal, and the like) to detect operations of the driver.The driver intention monitoring system 220 can process sensory datacollected from those sensors, and accordingly predict actions the driverintends to take. Based on the predicted actions, the motion intentionsignals 221 indicating the driver's intentions can be generated.Similarly, which intentions of the driver will trigger a motionintention is configurable in some examples.

The posture input device 230 can be configured to receive an inputindicating a motion intention from a driver of the vehicle 200. In oneexample, the posture input device 230 includes a set of button, or atouch panel which the driver can manually operate to indicate a motionintention of the driver. In one example, the posture input device 230includes a microphone and capable of voice recognition. Accordingly, thedriver can input a motion intention by issuance of an audio command.Based on the received input of the driver, the posture input device 230can generate motion intention signals 231 indicating intentions of thedriver.

While three components 210-230 generating motion intention signals areincluded in the vehicle 200 in FIG. 2, vehicles in other examples mayinclude one or two of the three components 210-230. For example, anon-autonomous vehicle may include the driver intention monitoringsystem 220, the posture input device 230, or both. In further examples,other components or devices other than the components 210-230 may beemployed to generate motion intention signals.

The vehicle posture controller 240 can be configured to receive a signal211-231 indicating a motion intention and accordingly create a vehicleposture corresponding to the motion intention. In one example, thevehicle posture controller 240 can generate a signal 241 indicating thevehicle posture corresponding to the motion intention according to aconfiguration. For example, the configuration can specify associationbetween various motion intentions and various vehicle postures. Asdescribed above, multiple factors may affect mappings between motionintentions and vehicle postures. Accordingly, the associationconfiguration can vary according to specific situations. Correspondingto the posture signal 241, the suspension system 250 can interpret theposture signal 241, for example, by using a suspension controller. Forexample, the suspension controller can accordingly generate suitableactuation signals to adjust respective suspensions to form the vehicleposture indicated by the signal 241. For example, an actuation signalcan be used to control a solenoid valve to inflate or deflate an airspring.

In one example, instead of generating the posture signal 241,corresponding to the motion intention indicated by the signals 211-231,the vehicle posture controller 240 can generate actuation signals todirectly control suspensions of the suspension system 250 to create avehicle posture. In this scenario, by configuration, each motionintention can be mapped to a set of parameters indicating theto-be-generated actuation signals.

The vehicle posture learning module (VPLM) 260 can be configured tolearn usage of vehicle postures using AI technology. For example, theVPLN 260 can include an AI unit capable of learning vehicle intentionpostures based on sensors of the autonomous driving system 210. Forexample, when the vehicle 200 enters a foreign country, the VPLM 260 candetect usage of vehicle postures is different from its original country,and learn how vehicle intention postures are used in this foreigncountry. The VPLM 260 can accordingly control the vehicle posturecontroller 240 to use vehicle postures in a same way as the localvehicles.

For example, as a result of a learning process, the VPLM 260 candetermine vehicle postures used in various scenarios, and mappingrelationship between motion intentions and respective vehicle postures.In one example, a learning process can include the following steps. At afirst step, the VPLM 260 can detect differences between a foreign regionand its original region. For example, by observation using the sensorsfor autonomous driving, the VPLM 260 can detect that vehicle posturesare different, and/or association between vehicle postures and motionintentions are different. At a second step, the VPLM 260 can identifythe postures (dynamic or static) by observation. At a third step, theVPLM 260 can identify motions or motion intentions corresponding todifferent vehicle postures. At a fourth step, the VPLM 260 can identifyassociations between the vehicle postures and the motions or motionintentions.

After the learning process, the VPLM 260 can provide the learningresults to the vehicle posture controller 240. For example, the VPLM 260may translate each newly leant posture to a set of parameters forgenerating suspension system control signals, and provide the parametersto the vehicle controller 240. The VPLM 260 can further provide mappingrelationship between motion intentions and the newly leant vehiclepostures to the vehicle controller 240. Based on the above providedinformation, the vehicle posture controller 240 can start to use vehicleintention postures in a way the same as the local vehicles. While aforeign country is used as an example for explanation of the function ofthe VPLM 260, the learning operation is not limited to foreigncountries. For example, a vehicle can learn any usage of postures thatare not included in its current configurations.

In addition, in some examples, the VPLM 260 is configured to learntimings of expressing intentions. For example, based on observations oftimings of other vehicles expressing intentions, the VPLM 120 can learnthe timings. The VPLM 260 can accordingly control the vehicle posturecontrollers 240 to express a posture according to leant timing.

The suspension system 250 is configured to adjust suspensions to createa vehicle posture in response to receive an input from the vehicleposture controller 240. For example, the suspension system 250 caninclude a plurality of suspensions disposed at different positions withrespect to a chassis (frame) of the vehicle 200. For example, thevehicle 200 can be installed with four suspensions (front-left,front-right, rear-left and rear-right). Each of the four suspensions canbe extended or shrunk independently. By extending or shrinking the foursuspensions, a vehicle posture, such as a forward inclined posture, abackward inclined posture, a left-side inclined posture, a right-sideinclined posture, and the like can be created.

In one example, in order to create a forward inclined posture, the tworear suspensions of the vehicle 200 are extended while the two frontsuspensions are maintained at an original state. In another example, inorder to create a forward inclined posture, the two rear suspensions ofthe vehicle 200 are extended while the two front suspensions are shrunk.As can be seen, a same vehicle posture can be created with differentsuspension adjustment operations.

In one example, the suspension system 250 is configured to receive asignal 241 indicating a vehicle posture and accordingly generateactuation signals, for example, by a suspension controller, to adjustsuspensions of the suspension system 250 to create the vehicle posture.In one example, the suspension system 250 is configured to receiveactuation signals corresponding to a vehicle posture. The actuationsignals can be used to extend or shrink suspensions of the suspensionsystem 250.

In various examples, the suspension system 250 can be of various typesemploying various suspension schemes. In one example, the suspensionsystem 250 can be an air spring based suspension system. For example, asuspension of such air suspension system can include an air spring (alsoreferred to as an air bag, or an air bellow) which can be shrunk bydeflating compressed air from the air spring, or extended by inflatingcompressed air into the air spring. In one example, the suspensionsystem 250 can be a hydro-pneumatic suspension system. For example, asuspension of such hydro-pneumatic suspension system can include asuspension chamber connected with a movable piston. By pumping oil inand out of the suspension chamber, the piston can moves down or up,resulting in the vehicle body moving vertically.

In a further example, the suspension system 250 can be an activesuspension system. For example, an active suspension system can use acontroller and sensors to instantly adapt suspensions to roadconditions. For example, a suspension of an active suspension system caninclude a fast-response high-power actuator that can be extended orshortened instantly. In various examples, the actuator can be ahydraulic actuator including a pump, a vale, and a cylinder, anelectromagnetic actuator including two electromagnets placed with likepoles facing each other, a linear electromagnetic motor, and the like.

FIG. 3 shows an example air suspension system 300 according to anembodiment of the disclosure. The air suspension system 300 includes asuspension controller 310, a set of charging solenoid valves 340-344, aset of discharging solenoid valves 351-354, four air springs 331-334,and a high pressure air reservoir 320. The four air springs 331-334 canbe disposed at front-right, front-left, rear-right, and rear-leftcorners of a vehicle chassis, and connect with the high pressure airreservoir 320 through air pipes 360 under regulations of the chargingsolenoid valves 340-344. In addition, each air spring 331-334 isconnected to a discharging pipe regulated by a respective dischargingsolenoid valve 351-354. The suspension controller 310 can generateactuation signals 311-319 to independently control each of the solenoidvalves 340-344, 351-354 to be in an on or off state.

During operation, the suspension controller 310 can receive a posturesignal 301 indicating a vehicle posture to-be-created by the suspensionsystem 300, and accordingly generate suitable actuation signals tocharge or discharge an air spring. For example, when receiving a posturesignal indicating a forward inclined posture, the suspension controller310 can generate control signals 311, 316, 318 to turn on the solenoidvalves 340, 343-344 to charge the two rear air springs 333-334, andgenerate control signals 315, 315 to turn on the solenoid valves 351-352to discharge the two front air springs 331-332. As a result, a rear partof the vehicle can be lifted up while a front part of the vehicle can belowered down. Similarly, corresponding to different posture signals 301,the suspension controller 310 can generate suitable actuation signals tocharge or discharge target air springs to create different vehiclepostures.

FIG. 4 shows an example process 400 for creating a vehicle posture toconvey motion intent of a vehicle to other road users according to anembodiment of the disclosure. The process can be performed by thevehicle posture controller 240 in FIG. 2 example. The vehicle 200 inFIG. 2 is used as an example to explain the process 400. The process 400can start from S401, and proceed to S410.

At S410, a signal indicating a motion intention of the vehicle 200 canbe received. For example, the motion intention signal can be receivedfrom the autonomous driving system 210, the driver intention monitoringsystem 220, or the posture input device 230, and the like.

At S420, a vehicle posture corresponding to the motion intentionreceived at S410 can be created by controlling the suspension system 250of the vehicle 200. For example, the vehicle posture controller 240 candetermine a vehicle posture corresponding to the motion intention, forexample, based on a configuration specifying association between vehicleintentions and vehicle postures. Subsequently, the vehicle posturecontroller 240 can generate a signal 241 indicate the determined vehicleposture. According to the vehicle posture signal 241, a suspensioncontroller of the suspension system 250 can adjust (shrink or extend)one or more suspensions of the suspension system 250 to create thedetermined vehicle posture. The process 400 can proceed to S499, andterminate at S499.

In various embodiments, the processes and functions described herein canbe implemented with hardware, software, or combination thereof. Forexample, the vehicle posture controller 240 in FIG. 2 can be implementedwith one or more integrated circuits (ICs), such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array(FPGA), and the like. For another example, the functions of the vehicleposture controller 240, or the process 400 can be implemented assoftware or firmware including instructions stored in a computerreadable non-volatile storage media. The instructions, when executed bya processing circuit, causing the processing circuit to perform thefunctions of the vehicle posture controller 240 or the process 400.

In some examples, the processes and functions described herein can beimplemented as a computer program which, when executed by one or moreprocessors, can cause the one or more processors to perform therespective processes and functions. The computer program may be storedor distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage mediumor a solid-state medium supplied together with, or as part of, otherhardware. The computer program may also be distributed in other forms,such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunicationsystems. For example, the computer program can be obtained and loadedinto an apparatus, including obtaining the computer program throughphysical medium or distributed system, including, for example, from aserver connected to the Internet.

The computer program may be accessible from a computer-readable mediumproviding program instructions for use by or in connection with acomputer or any instruction execution system. A computer readable mediummay include any apparatus that stores, communicates, propagates, ortransports the computer program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Thecomputer-readable medium can be magnetic, optical, electronic,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus ordevice) or a propagation medium. The computer-readable medium mayinclude a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium such as asemiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), amagnetic disk and an optical disk, and the like. The computer-readablenon-transitory storage medium can include all types of computer readablemedium, including magnetic storage medium, optical storage medium, flashmedium and solid state storage medium.

While aspects of the present disclosure have been described inconjunction with the specific embodiments thereof that are proposed asexamples, alternatives, modifications, and variations to the examplesmay be made. Accordingly, embodiments as set forth herein are intendedto be illustrative and not limiting. There are changes that may be madewithout departing from the scope of the claims set forth below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving a signalindicating a motion intention of a vehicle; and controlling a suspensionsystem of the vehicle to create a vehicle posture according to themotion intention of the vehicle to show the motion intention of thevehicle to other road users.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereincontrolling the suspension system of the vehicle to create the vehicleposture includes one of: creating an inclined posture towards the frontof the vehicle, creating an inclined posture towards the rear of thevehicle, creating an inclined posture towards the left side of thevehicle, creating an inclined posture towards the right side of thevehicle, and creating a dynamic posture.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein controlling the suspension system of the vehicle to create thevehicle posture includes one of: creating an inclined posture towardsthe front of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to stop or keepstopping, creating an inclined posture towards the rear of the vehicleto show the vehicle intends to start, creating an inclined posturetowards the left of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to turnright, creating an inclined posture towards the right of the vehicle toshow the vehicle intends to turn left, and creating a dynamic postureincluding a forward inclined posture followed by a flat posture.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein controlling the suspension system of thevehicle to create the vehicle posture includes one of: creating aninclined posture towards the front of the vehicle by shrinking a frontsuspension and/or extending a rear suspension of the suspension system,creating an inclined posture towards the rear of the vehicle byshrinking a rear suspension and/or extending a front suspension of thesuspension system, creating an inclined posture towards the left of thevehicle by shrinking a left side suspension and/or extending a rightside suspension of the suspension system, and creating an inclinedposture towards the right of the vehicle by shrinking a right sidesuspension and/or extending a left side suspension of the suspensionsystem.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the suspension system is oneof: a suspension system based on airbags, a hydro-pneumatic suspensionsystem, and an active suspension system based on high-speed actuators.6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the signal indicating themotion intention of the vehicle includes one of: receiving the signalindicating the motion intention of the vehicle from an autonomousdriving system, receiving the signal indicating the motion intention ofthe vehicle from a driver intention monitoring system, and receiving thesignal indicating the motion intention of the vehicle from an inputdevice configured to receive a driver's input of a motion intention. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the suspension system of thevehicle to create the vehicle posture includes: extending or shrinking asuspension of the suspension system to create the vehicle posture. 8.The method of claim 1, further comprising: learning vehicle postures andassociation between the vehicle postures and motion intentions using anartificial intelligence (AI) device.
 9. A vehicle, comprising: asuspension system; and a vehicle posture controller configured to,receive a signal indicating a motion intention of the vehicle, andcontrol the suspension system of the vehicle to create a vehicle postureaccording to the motion intention of the vehicle to show the motionintention of the vehicle to other road users.
 10. The vehicle of claim9, wherein the vehicle posture controller is configured to control thesuspension system of the vehicle to create one of: an inclined posturetowards the front of the vehicle, an inclined posture towards the rearof the vehicle, an inclined posture towards the left side of thevehicle, an inclined posture towards the right side of the vehicle, anda dynamic posture.
 11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the vehicleposture controller is configured to control the suspension system of thevehicle to create one of: an inclined posture towards the front of thevehicle to show the vehicle intends to stop or keep stopping, aninclined posture towards the rear of the vehicle to show the vehicleintends to start, an inclined posture towards the left of the vehicle toshow the vehicle intends to turn right, an inclined posture towards theright of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to turn left, and adynamic posture including a forward inclined posture followed by a flatposture.
 12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the vehicle posturecontroller is configured to perform one of: controlling the suspensionsystem to shrink a front suspension and/or extend a rear suspension tocreate an inclined posture towards the front of the vehicle, controllingthe suspension system to shrink a rear suspension and/or extend a frontsuspension to create an inclined posture towards the rear of thevehicle, controlling the suspension system to shrink a left-sidesuspension and/or extend a right-side suspension to create an inclinedposture towards the left of the vehicle, and controlling the suspensionsystem to shrink a right-side suspension and/or extend a left-sidesuspension to create an inclined posture towards the right of thevehicle.
 13. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the suspension system isone of: a suspension system based on airbags, a hydro-pneumaticsuspension system, and an active suspension system based on high-speedactuators.
 14. The vehicle of claim 9, further comprising one of: anautonomous driving system configured to generate the signal indicatingthe motion intension of the vehicle, a driver intention monitoringsystem configured to generate the signal indicating the motion intensionof the vehicle, and a posture input device configured to receive adriver's input of the motion intention of the vehicle and generate thesignal indicating the motion intention of the vehicle.
 15. The vehicleof claim 9, wherein the vehicle posture controller is configured to:control the suspension system to extend or shrink a suspension of thesuspension system to create the vehicle posture.
 16. the vehicle ofclaim 9, further comprising: a vehicle posture learning deviceconfigured to learn vehicle postures and association between the vehiclepostures and motion intentions.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, causesthe processor to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving asignal indicating a motion intention of a vehicle; and controlling asuspension system of the vehicle to create a vehicle posture accordingto the motion intention of the vehicle to show the motion intention ofthe vehicle to other road users.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein controlling the suspensionsystem of the vehicle to create the vehicle posture includes one of:controlling the suspension system to create an inclined posture towardsthe front of the vehicle, controlling the suspension system to create aninclined posture towards the rear of the vehicle, controlling thesuspension system to create an inclined posture towards the left side ofthe vehicle, controlling the suspension system to create an inclinedposture towards the right side of the vehicle, and controlling thesuspension system to create a dynamic posture.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein controlling the suspensionsystem of the vehicle to create the vehicle posture includes one of:controlling the suspension system to create an inclined posture towardsthe front of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to stop or keepstopping, controlling the suspension system to create an inclinedposture towards the rear of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends tostart, controlling the suspension system to create an inclined posturetowards the left of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to turnright, controlling the suspension system to create an inclined posturetowards the right of the vehicle to show the vehicle intends to turnleft, and controlling the suspension system to create a dynamic postureincluding a forward inclined posture followed by a flat posture.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein controllingthe suspension system of the vehicle to create the vehicle postureincludes one of: controlling the suspension system to shrink a frontsuspension and/or extend a rear suspension of the suspension system tocreate an inclined posture towards the front of the vehicle, controllingthe suspension system to shrink a rear suspension and/or extend a frontsuspension of the suspension system to create an inclined posturetowards the rear of the vehicle, controlling the suspension system toshrink a left side suspension and/or extend a right side suspension ofthe suspension system to create an inclined posture towards the left ofthe vehicle, and controlling the suspension system to shrink a rightside suspension and/or extend a left side suspension of the suspensionsystem to create an inclined posture towards the right of the vehicle.